**8. Evaluation of the nutritional status of sugarcane**

The chemical analysis of sugarcane leaves is another way for evaluating the nutritional status of crops. The preference for leaves is because, in general, they reflect better the variations in the supply of nutrients both by the soil and by fertilizations. In sugarcane, it has been recommended to collect the +2 or +3 leaves. The leaf +1 is, in the descending direction of the stem, the first leaf to show a fully visible ligule (region of insertion of the leaf sheath on the stem). For the chemical analysis, the median third of the +2 or +3 leaf is used excluding the central vein.

Samples from the middle third should first be washed in clean running water and then in distilled water. Then, the material should be dried at 65°C until constant weight. If this


**Table 11.** Nutrient concentration ranges in the middle third of the +2 or +3 leaf considered adequate.

drying is not possible, the samples should be sent quickly to the laboratory where they will be analyzed. **Table 11** lists the nutrient concentration ranges considered adequate according to Brazilian researchers.
